In Spirit Untamed, a stubborn but good-at-heart little girl moves from the city to a frontier town. While there, she meets a wild Mustang called Spirit Untamed. The two form an unlikely but kindred friendship that teaches each other about life. A fantastic animation movie for your kids to appreciate the value of friendship in their lives. Here are 6 more movies like Spirit Untamed, to keep the feel-good spirit alive.
You might also want to see this post we wrote about movies like Raya and the Last Dragon, an animated movie that came out earlier in 2021. In it, Raya joins hands with Sisi, an adorable dragon, to save their village from the evil Druun monsters.
6 Animated Movies about Unlikely Friendships, Like You Saw in Spirit Untamed
1 Ratatouille (2007)
IMDB 8.0 | 655K Ratings
Ratatouille won an Oscar for best animated movie of the year, in 2007. A rat dreams big and moonlights with fine dine cooking in an upscale restaurant in Paris, after everyone has gone home. But, when it’s discovered by the staff there, they naturally want it gone. But, the junior cook who is given the responsibility of getting rid of the rat forms an unlikely friendship with the rat. He can’t cook. But, the rat can. They make a pact. The rat gets to cook its creations and the cook gets to keep his job. It’s a win-win. But, they do it all in the down low. The executive chef knows something is up and is always trying to get rid of the cook and the rat. But, they somehow survive as their friendship blossoms.
A brilliantly made movie with many hilarious scenes. Brad Garrett (From Everybody Loves Raymond), Lou Romano and Patton Oswalt lend their voices for the lead characters.
This movie will have you rooting for the cool rat and clumsy cook, from start to finish. Definitely a great movie to watch after Spirit Untamed!
2 Up (2009)
IMDB 8.2 | 955K Ratings
78 year old Carl Fredricksen hates living in his neighborhood. What does he do about it? He decides to tie a whole lot of balloons to move house, literally. As him and his house floats away earning him the peace he so badly wanted, there’s a knock on the door. He has a stowaway, a young boy. At first, they don’t get along. But, with time, they form a great bond as they explore beautiful sights and lands. Along the way, they pick up more rescues. A talking dog and a hilarious Ostrich make up rest of the gang.
A movie that your kids will enjoy. But, this is a movie that you might enjoy more as an adult!
3 How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
IMDB 8.1 | 680K Ratings
A young Viking is being groomed to become a fearless dragon hunter. But, when he comes across an injured dragon, he is not able to come to terms to kill it. He watches it from a distance, curious about what the creature tries to do. As he spends more time with the dragon, he realizes that they aren’t the evil creatures they are made out to be. Far from it actually.
The two form a close friendship that takes them on adventures where he learns more about dragons than any Viking ever knew. Jay Baruchel lends the voice to Hiccup, the hapless young Viking. There’s plenty of other interesting characters in Hiccup’s friends. Night Fury, the dragon, is just adorable.
If you like How to Train Your Dragon, which we think you surely will, there’s a great sequel to follow this movie up with. Like how a young girl bonded with a wild horse, a young boy fosters an unshakable friendship with a toothless dragon here. A feel good movie that your kids will adore.
4 Big Hero 6 (2014)
IMDB 7.8 | 419K Ratings
Hiro Hamada is a robotics prodigy. When the city he lives in comes under the threat of an evil villain, he assembles a team of 5 friends, each with their own invented super hero powers. The 6th super hero in Big Hero 6 is Baymax, a large inflatable robot, invented by Hiro himself. Baymax can talk, feel and care. But, he is also huge, clumsy and full of air.
There are many scenes where Baymax means well, but just can’t help because of his clumsy form. The team of young super heroes get him into an action suit that transforms him from a goofy overgrown robot to one that can kick some serious villain butt. But, at the heart of Baymax is still that innocent robot that knows no harm.
Just a nice movie for your kids to watch with other kids, or with just the family.
5 Ice Age (2002)
IMDB 7.5 | 449K Ratings
A mammoth couple, a sloth and a sabre tooth tiger. Does that sound like a band of friends to you? Well, in Ice Age, they are. Together, they come across a human baby separated from its tribe. They decide to return the baby to the clan of humans.
But, to do that, they must embark on a perilous journey where they have to work together, despite their many differences. The characters are just hilarious. There’s plenty of humor and also a lot of teaching moments, where your kids will understand loyalty, friendship and being there for their friends.
Denis Leary lends the voice for Diego, the sabre tooth tiger. John Leguizamo speaks for Sid, the hilarious sloth who adorably bungles his way around through almost all of the movie. Ray Romano gives voice to Manfred, the stoic mammoth who always holds the band together.
Together, they overcome avalanches, tigers on the prowl and fear-driven-attacks from the humans themselves. Ice Age has as many as 5 sequels and we are sure you will knock them all off, one by one. Just a great franchise that made a real name for itself in the 2000’s.
6 Monsters, Inc. (2001)
IMDB 8.1 | 832K Ratings
It’s a world where monsters provide the city’s energy by scaring kids. The more the scares, the more power the monsters generate. But, when a little girl enters the world of Monsters, it’s not the child that is terrified, but the monsters themselves.
At first, all they do is panic and run. But, as they slowly observe the innocent little child and that it means no harm, they all develop a bond with the child. Two monsters in particular make it their mission to get the little girl, whom they call Boo, back in her human world before the rest of Monsters, Inc. finds out. What follows is a great adventure that is both adorable and funny.
Lending voices to the characters in this movie are great actors like Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi.
There you go. What we think are 6 movies like Spirit Untamed. Do you have more animated movies to suggest? Let us know in the comment box below!